Plant Lore

Loads of totally true stuff about plants along with tradition,
folklore, myth and superstition, but which is which?

Vegetables

Basil - according
to the druids

Basil
is a herb for purification, love and money. Put a piece
of basil in each of the four corners of your house at the beginning
of each season to bring wealth. If you grow basil in your garden,
you need to shout and scream at it to make it grow into a strong
plant.

It also symbolizes love.At one time young girls would place some on their windowsill
to indicate they were looking for a suitor. In Tudor times,
small pots of this were given by farmers' wives to visitors
as parting gifts. It is also reputed that any man will fall
in love with a woman from whom he accepts some basil from as
a gift. Can be used as snuff to cure headaches.

Beans

Scattering
the flowers is thought to placate demons in many countries
particularly in the Far East, being associated with death and
the spirits of the dead. If one bean in a row should come up
white instead of green, an English tradition associates this
occurrence with death. In south west England it was once believed
that 3rd May was the best time to plant kidney beans to ensure
a successful crop. (My Grandad always said plant them on the
1st of May under cover and then plant them out in the garden
on the 1st of June, that was Nottingham).

Broad beans were thought to possess the soul of the
dead, and when in flower it was believed that accidents
were more likely to happen. If it was a leap year it was thought
that the bean would grow upside-down. The shape of the bean
was thought to be associated with death and ghosts. Scattering
some around the outside of the house would stave of such attentions
for 12 months.

Broad beans have also been associated with forecasting
the future. A European belief was that three beans
should be prepared in different ways to produce an outcome and
then hidden on Midsummer Eve for the enquirer to find. The untouched
bean indicated wealth, the half-peeled bean indicated a comfortable
life, whilst the third fully peeled bean indicated poverty.
The future was revealed by which bean was found first.

The ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras
(he of the theorem) founded a religion one of the basic tenets
of which was the sinfulness of eating beans.

Blackberries and bramble
bushes.

Creating a natural arch out of any forms of brambles
and passing someone who is ill underneath was reputed to cure
the affected. Blackheads, rheumatism, boils and whooping
cough were also thought to be helped by eating the fruit.

This fruit has over time has also become associated with
the Devil in France and England. In France it was thought that
the colour of the fruit resulted from when the Devil spat on
it, whilst in England it was thought that picking fruit after
11 October (old Michaelmas Day) would bring bad luck as the
Devil was believed to have fallen into a thicket and had left
a curse on the thorns which had hurt him.

Caraway

Use to combat burglaries. Place among your valued
possessions, if the thief manages to get into the house
then the caraway will transfix the person until rescue arrives.
For women worried about their husbands wandering off with other
women, placing some caraway in the pocket will do the trick
- a similar principle with pigeons - a little in their food
and they'll never want to find another coop.

Carrots

Carrots
contain chemicals that are the precursors to retinol the chemical found in our
retina that is vital to us being able to see. So there
is some basis of truth in the belief that eating a lot of carrots
will improve the eyesight.

The story of WW2 British RAF pilots being fed on a special
diet of carrots is false however but typical of the claims made
of this vegetable (it may have also helped throw the enemy off
the scent of the recently developed radar, that really did enable
the RAF to see in the dark).

Eating large quantities of boiled carrots was thought to
help asthmatics (by relieving constriction of the bronchial
tubes). Also thought to be an aphrodisiac (as is just about
everything else in the world that's vaguely penis-shaped).

Trick - write the word "carrot" on a piece
of paper and hide it. Ask some-one to quickly answer your questions,
ask "what is 1 + 1?", "what is 2 + 2" etc. until the answer
is 128, then ask them to name a vegetable, they will almost
always answer with "carrot" - reveal your paper.

Chicory

Who needs a magic cloak like Harry Potter when there's chicory
about, not sure how you use it though.

Can be used to open locked chests on July 25th (St. James's
Day). Hold a golden knife and some chicory leaves against the
lock, and it will open - but only in silence, if a word is spoken
"death will soon be upon you". (How do stories like that start?).
Early American settlers and prospectors are said to have carried
a piece of chicory with them for good luck.

Garlic

In the Far East it is believed to have the power
to bring back lost souls being heavily used in religious ceremonies.
It is also seen to be an effective aphrodisiac.

Garlic juice is an antiseptic and antibacterial agent like
many other members of the onion family to which it belongs,
used frequently through the ages to clean wounds, particularly
in battle.

Leek

An old Welsh tradition is to rub themselves
with leeks before going into battle to bring extra
strength and power while providing protection from injury. So
if a Welshman smells of leeks, watch out!

Lettuce

A bit of a contradicting lore here, the Romans believed that
the lettuce plant was a powerful aphrodisiac. It was also served
in quantity at feasts and weddings for these reasons and also
because it was thought to prevent drunkenness.

In England on the other hand country people traditionally
believed that planting lots of lettuce in the garden could prevent
conception!

Mushrooms and toadstools

Scientists
suspect that lunar cycles affect their growth. Japanese
believed that mushrooms and toadstools were made by thunder.
Greeks and Aztecs believed they were made by lightning.
It was thought that they sprang up overnight and disappeared
the next day. The Aztec's even had a mushroom and toadstool
god Tlaloc. He was represented wearing a serpent headdress.

Edible mushrooms were considered the food of the gods in
ancient Greece and Mexico where they were called Teonanacatl,
Flesh of the Gods. In Central America, the rites of the sacred
mushroom were conducted. Guatemalan mushroom rites date back
to at least 1000 B.C.

Toadstools have always been associated with fairies.
A circle of taller, darker grass within a ring of toadstools,
sometimes accompanied by a ring of dark earth is often called
a Fairy Ring. They were believed to be caused by the path of
dancing fairies, elves, fire-breathing dragons, lightning strike
or witches. Stepping into a fairy ring could bring good or bad
luck, cause or cure illness. (not a lot of use then)

A fairy ring in a field beside a house was believed to bring
good fortune. Harm was believed to come to a cow that stepped
within the circle or ate its grass. It was also thought that
you would become enchanted if you entered a ring during a full
moon.

Early Christians believed that mushrooms sprang up where
St. Peter spat bread on the ground, toadstools where the devil
spat.

Peas

Finding
a single pea in a pod when shelling them is a sign of good fortune.
Finding nine means that you can make a wish once you've thrown
one of the nine over your shoulder. Sounds like a good way of
keeping someone going while shelling peas to me and also bothering
with the short skinny ones with not many inside!

Pineapples

In
1493, Columbus came across the pineapple, Ananas comosos,
on the island of Guadeloupe. The natives who cultivated these
fruits called them ananas and believed that they had been brought
from the Amazon many generations earlier by the warlike Caribs.
(This oral history may be true, as pineapple-shaped jars have
been found in pre-Incan burial sites in Brazil.)

A few explorers had observed that Indians used pineapple poultices
to reduce inflammation in wounds and other skin injuries. Native
people also drank the juice to aid digestion and to cure stomach
ache. In 1891 an enzyme that broke down proteins (bromelain)
was isolated from the flesh of the pineapple, accounting for
many of the pineapple's healing properties. It has been found
that bromelain can also break down blood clots, which consist
mainly of protein. Research continues. This enzyme may well
play a major part in heart attack treatment in the near future,
as well as in the treatment of burned tissue, abscesses, and
ulcers.

Parsley

Traditionally
associated with death and disaster. Bad luck will come
your way especially if you cut some for your cooking and you
are in love at the same time, or transplant it, or give it away.

Like Rosemary, it is reputed to grow best if the woman of
the household is dominant. It was associated with death by the
Ancient Greeks who dedicated it in funeral rites and scattered
it on graves. It was also woven into crowns for victors of sporting
games (and fed to the chariot horses before the races).

It is also believed that babies could be discovered
in parsley beds, and that unmarried girls could put
matters to right if they chewed parsley three times a day for
three weeks. When scattered in fishponds it can reputedly heal
sick fish too. The Romans used to line their graves with Parsley
to keep the Devil away, and also to avoid their plants falling
into someone else's hands as this was considered to be like
throwing luck away. In Britain it was also once believed that
to sow parsley was to encourage the conception of children.

According to my granddad, parsley seeds take so long to germinate
because they have to go to the devil and back seven times first.

Rosemary

It is believed that this plant grows in abundance where the
woman rules the home but it is probably best to say that the
strong flavoured evergreen shrub is associated with remembrance,
with sprigs often being placed in funeral wreaths or carried
at country funerals.

Wild Plants

Bluebells

Fields of bluebells are dangerously enchanted by
fairies, who are called to their midnight dances and
revels by the sound of bluebells ringing.

Dandelions

Apparently
seen as a love omen in English country folklore. When
I was a child smelling a dandelion flower was to be avoided
as it meant that you would wet the bed.

Dandelion clocks of the fluffy seed heads can be used to
tell the time - count how many blows (o'clocks) to remove them
all. Alternatively counting the number of seeds left after you
have blown on it will indicate how many years you will have
to wait until your wedding day.

Ferns

Also
known as 'Devil Brushes in England. It is believed that
hanging dried ferns in the house will protect all the
inhabitants from thunder and lightning damage. Be careful
because it may rain when the ferns are cut or burnt.

The brackenseed of the plant is said to provide magical qualities
if you place a few in the pocket - invisibility being the most
notable (probably need to keep your fingers crossed at the same
time).

Be careful when you go seed collecting because it is believed
that treading on a fern will cause the poor unfortunate traveller
to become confused and lose his way. Stomach ache is supposed
to be alleviated by taking some crushed brackenseed taken with
water from a fern growing on a tree. (I wouldn't try this one,
bracken is very poisonous, the alleviation of pain may be permanent!)

Ferns are also favored by pixies, who can sometimes be found
near them.

Mandrake (Mayapple)

Mandrake
(so called because the root is said to shaped like a man - with
two legs) was said to scream when pulled from the ground
and that the person who pulled it would die. To avoid this,
starving dogs were tied to the plant and then tempted to pull
it out with food.

St. Johns Wort

Now in many herbal remedies. Noted for its
calming effect, valuable for nervous disorders such as insomnia,
depression and bedwetting. The oil has remarkable soothing and
healing action when rubbed into painful joints and strained
muscles. Celtic tradition held that the druids wore
it in battle for invincibility - that'll be why we're
ruled by druids then. Burn to exorcise negative spirits.

The plant was believed to be able to move around to avoid
having the flowers picked it. If caught the flowers help ward
off evil spirits by hanging over the door. Originally known
as the "sun god's flower" the Christians dedicated Midsummer
to St. John the Baptist and renamed the plant St. John's Wort.

Considered a sacred fairy plant on the Isle of Man, where
it is believed pixies will have revenge on you if you tread
on it.

Californian PoppyEschscholzia californica

When
the Spaniards who the first European explorers of California
saw these poppies emblazoning the hills, they called the land
"The Golden West". Not so much because of the wealth...that
came later; but, because of the golden poppies! The Spaniards
named this poppy, "copa de oro" or cup of gold.

Some
of these California poppies were taken to Russia by Adelbert
Chamisso, a botanist on a voyage to collect samples from the
North American continent. Chamisso named the poppy after a Prussian
doctor on the ship whose name was Dr. Elsholz, which was then
Russianised to Eschscholz.

Primrose

Eating primroses enables you to see fairies.

Touching a fairy rock with a primrose posy opens
the way to fairyland and fairy gifts.

Cultivated Plants

Anemones

Anemones used to be called wind flower possibly because they
grew in areas of wind anemosis Greek for wind (anemometer -
wind speed measuring device).

Anemones were associated
with Adonis who was loved by Aphrodite. In an attempt to keep
Adonis safe by hiding him in the Underworld, she was worried
Adonis might be hurt whilst hunting, but he ignored her. One
day, whilst hunting wild boar, Adonis shot a particularly large
and nasty boar, who when hit by the arrows of Adonis, turned
on him and gored him to death. Aphrodite got to him just as
he died and whilst she wept over his lifeless body, Zeus created
a flower that arose from the ground where the blood had soaked
in. This is the origin of the Anemone.

Bleeding Hearts
- Dicentra spectabilis

Bleeding
hearts look like dripping hearts. If you turn the flower upside
down though and slightly pull it apart, it looks just like a
lady in the bath (well a bit like a lady in the bath). The botanical
name is from the Greek di(two) and kentron (spur) spectabilis,
from Latin, means spectacular, which they most certainly are!

There's a fairy story so I'm told about the bleeding heart
flower, where each piece is a part of the story, something to
do with a prince and princess. I've never heard it myself but
asked if anyone else had on the home page of this site in response
to an enquiry. The result ...... many emails asking if there
was an answer, but no answer, until I received the story below...

I received this on the subject from Pat Manly on the
West Coast of Canada:

When I was a little girl
(about 45 years ago), another child told me this story.
Since then, I have never met anyone else who knew it.
My bleeding hearts are in bloom at the moment, which inspired
me to do a Google search to see if I could track down a more
poetic version. No luck so far, but I'll share what I have.
To tell this story successfully, it is important to choose a
blossom that is fully ripe (so that the pieces come apart without
much struggle), but not yet beginning to fade (so that the stem
and pistil remain attached at the end). It also helps
to pinch the petals and other bits away from the stem ever so
carefully... I learned it this way:

These are the rabbits that lived in her garden (the pink
petals, separated and stood "ears up")These are the earrings
she wore (an elongated question mark with the stamens attached)These
are the slippers she wore on her feet (little oriental slip-ons
perhaps?) And this (the remaining stem and pistil)
is the dagger that stabbed her.

I was hoping to find a poem, as it seems to me it really
ought to rhyme, but no luck so far. I did find a story,
which had to to with a young man falling in love with a beautiful
princess, who spurned his affections. In order to win
her favour, he brings her gifts: two pink rabbits, a pair
of beautiful earrings, a pair of delicate oriental slippers,
all to no avail. Having failed to win her affection, he
takes out his dagger and stabs himself through his heart.
She then realizes (too late!) that she truly loves him, so vows
that her heart will eternally bleed in spring, hence the beautiful
bleeding heart flower.

Pat then followed with a link to
this version she found on the web, so many thanks are due!

Robert Fortune introduced Dicentra to the western world
after the Treaty of Nanking of 1842 gave botanists and plant
collectors somewhat better access to China.

Camellia

Despite stories to the contrary, the camellia was
not named for the notorious 19th century French courtesan Camille.
Although, Camille used to carry a bouquet of camellias, for
twenty-five days, the camellias were white, for five days, they
were red, this was thought to indicate the five days of the
month she was experiencing her menses. (We are not told how
Camellias were kept in bloom year round, presumably they weren't.)

Carl Linnaeus named the flower for Georg Josef Kamel, changing
the 'K' to a 'C' since there is no 'K' in Latin. Kamel had no
contact with Camellias, probably never even saw one, but, he
was a missionary who researched plants and animals of the Philippines.
Linnaeus originally named the flower, Thea sinensis or Chinese
tea, but on second thought, in his second volume of Species
Platarum, he changed it to Camellia japonica.

Oriental
green tea and the tea grown today in Australia is from the Camellia
plant.

Pink carnations have the most symbolic and historical significance.
According to Christian legend, carnations first appeared on
Earth as Jesus carried the Cross. The Virgin Mary shed tears
at Jesus' plight, and carnations sprang up from where her tears
fell. Thus the pink carnation became the symbol of a mother's
undying love, and in 1907 was chosen by Ann Jarvis as the emblem
of Mother's Day.

Daffodil

Bringing a single daffodil into the house is to be
avoided as it brings bad luck. A bunch ensures happiness.
In Wales finding the first daffodil of Spring is expected to
bring more gold than silver to your life and home during the
following 12 months.

Daisy

It
is considered lucky to step on the first daisy of the year,
and spring has arrived when it is possible to step on seven
daisies with one footstep. To be avoided by young children
as if the plant was uprooted the child would grow-up stunted
in height.

The traditional flower to be used for "he loves me, he loves
me not" enquiries. If a young girl grabs a whole bunch of daisies
with the eyes shut she can then count how many years she would
have to wait before she would marry (one per flower).

Passion Flower

Passion flowers are climbers and vigorous ones at that. Used
in protection and love magic. When passion flower is used, it
calms and brings peace to the home. You can sprinkle dried or
fresh passion flower over the doorsteps of your house to keep
harm away. If you carry some of the herb in an amulet bag, you
will make friends easier since it will work to increase your
personal charisma making you more attractive and more likable.
Place Passion flower in a dream pillow and it will help you
get a good nights sleep. Use in love spells to attract love.
You can also burn it as an incense to promote understanding.

Honeysuckle-
Lonicera

A wedding will soon occur if this plant is brought
into a house. Placing the flower in a female's bedroom
is reputed to encourage erotic dreams.

Lavender

Love, purification. Used in love sachets and incense. Put
2 handfuls of lavender flowers into a square of cheese cloth
and tie with a purple ribbon use this aromatic "washcloth" in
place of your usual one. Lavender was thrown into Midsummer
fires by witches as a sacrifice to the ancient Gods.

On a more mundane note, also used as an insect repellent.

Marigolds

In the West Country (England) these are known as
'The Drunkards' due their reputation for turning people into
alcoholics when the flowers are picked or even looked
at for any length of time.

The Welsh traditionally believed the flower could be used
as a weather omen. If the flowers were not open early in the
morning a storm was on the way. Used as a love charm, in wedding
garlands and posies, it was also believed that rubbing the flower
head on a wasp or bee sting would alleviate any pain.

Often used as companion plants with tomatoes to keep pests
away.

Pansies

Avoid picking these when you're in the middle of a spell
of fine weather or the rain will soon return.

Roses

Roses are known as THE herb of love. Add
rose bud petals to bath water to conjure up a lover. Put red
rose petals in a red velvet bag and pin this under your clothes
to attract love - or you can wear rosehips as beads to bring
love to you. rose oil and rose incense are both used in love
spells (if you're that way inclined). If you wash your hands
with rose water before mixing love potions, the potions will
be stronger.

It's not all good news though, if the petals of a rose are
consciously scattered on the ground it is thought to be unlucky,
and if the petals fall from the plant when it is being held
it is said that that person will die (the when is less clear).

Different colour roses have different meanings so you can
use them to give someone a message discretely.

What the different rose colors mean:

Red - I love youWhite -
I love you notYellow - I love
anotherMoss rose - I admire you from
afarPink - My love for you is innocentOrange - I love you vigorouslyAmethyst - I will love you foreverWild - I love you because you are fair
and innocent

Sage - Salvia

Attributed with many healing properties the botanical
name comes from the Latin 'salvere' meaning 'to save".
Used to relieve sore throats, gums, typhoid fever, measles etc...you
name it. This plant was believed to have extremely powerful
magical qualities and most ailments were treated with it at
some time.

Snowdrop

Frequently seen as an omen of death despite
its springtime prettiness. It symbolizes purity but is said
to be unlucky to bring the flower into the house if someone
in the household is ill.

Violet

A flower mainly of ill. Wearing it around
your neck can prevent drunkenness, but be careful as it is also
believed to encourage fleas to move into the home.

Violets originally warned of epidemic or death. Blooming
in the autumn the small dark green leaves and beautiful purple
flowers require shaded moist ground that has been undisturbed
for some time to flourish.